What to do in Friuli during Easter time?
If you are travelling in Friuli Venezia Giulia in Easter you could take part to town festivals and typical celebrations. Most of them are Christian celebrations with deep roots in history and religion.
Easter events start the Sunday before Easter on ‘Domenica delle Palme‘ (i.e. Palm Sunday): everywhere in Italy is common to take blessed ulive branches. Similarly in the mountains of Friuli Venezia Giulia, in the villages of Camporosso, Valbruna, Ugovizza and Malborghetto instead of the ulive branches you can bless the “Praitl”, small saplings decorated with tangerines, apples and other fruits.
On Holy Friday is a common habit for Christians to take part to Via Crucis, a ceremony that commemorates the last moments of Jesus’ life. In Claut there is an historical reconstruction that recalls every aspect of Jesus arrival to the place of crucifixion and the crucifixion itself. Always on Holy Friday night in Erto and Casso, small villages now well known because of Vajont dyke which overflew 50 years ago, takes place the last dinner of Jesus with the Apostles.
In Cividale del Friuli on Easter and on the day after Easter you can take part to ‘Gioco del Trùc‘. The game consists in rolling a colored boiled egg down from a sand slope: at the edge there is a shingle from where you roll down the egg. The aim of the game is to hit one or more eggs. The game has very strict rules which pass on since generations. Another interesting habit of Easter in Friuli Venezia Giulia is ‘Lancio des Cidulis‘ that means the throwing of the Cidulis. Cidulis are small inflamed wheels that are thrown by the young men living in the village while they say positive wishes addressed to the young couples of the town. It is a very old tradition of Celtic origins.
The day after Easter, gone by the religious celebrations, it is time to celebrate with friends and family at the open air. Usually on ‘Pasquetta‘ (the name given to the day after Easter) it is common to have day trips in the countryside if it is a sunny day: you can go to the beach (in Trieste, Grado or Lignano), go hiking in the mountains and have a picnic or have lunch in an agritourism or in a typical osmiza in Carso.
